Soap composition



Patented'Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES SOAP COMPOSITION John R. Canon, Buflalo, N. Y., assignor to Harris Soap Company, Buihlo, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application January 17, 1936, Serial No. 59,641

4 Claims. V (Cl. "-5) This invention relates to an improved soap, and more particularly to a soap chip of high silicate content and good sudsing power, to a siliceous material for addition. to soap and to a 5 method of manufacture of the siliceous material and high silicated soap. In the manufacture of soap, heretofore, it has been common practice to add a soluble silicate thereto both as a filler and for whatever detergent power it may possess. Practical limits have been established in the preparation of silicate filled soaps for the amount of silicate which can be introduced into the kettle or soap stock. Where larger quantities of silicate have been introduced into the soap a salting out effect is often encountered as the excess silicate, beyond the practical limits, tends to cause separation of the soap and silicate into two layers. Further, even where the salting out eflect is not an insurmountable difllculty,

the mixed soap and silicate, upon drying, tends to chalk upon the surface with the production of a powdery deposit of silicate which decreases the attractiveness of the product as a saleable article. Where soap, filled with silicate, has too large a proportion of silicate, the soap is in a form which is too pasty and viscous or otherwise unsuitable to be run over the chilling rolls and come off in chip form where it is desired to manufacture chips. 30 A further defect inherent in the introduction of excess quantities of silicate into the soap stock is that the sudsing quantity of the resultant soap is' materially decreased, and this is a definite disadvantage since particularly in the use of soap chips, an abundance of suds is desired.

In accordance with the procedures of the present invention it is possible to introduce substantially greater quantities of silicate into kettle soap than has been found practical heretofore and at the same-time eliminate the salting out action of the silicate and eliminate the tendency of the chip to chalk upon the surface upon drying, and the tendency of high silicate soaps to become pasty on the rolls, thus making the forma- 45 tion of chips extremely difllcult.

The present invention also provides a product suitable for use by soap manufacturers for addition to kettle soap whereby the soapmanufacturer may incorporate increased quantities of 50 silicate into the kettle soap..

The present invention also provides a method for preparing highly silicated soap chips of a sudsing power heretofore unobtainable in the presence of substantial quantities of silicate.

In accordance-with the procedures of this invention an alkaline solution of starch, such as soluble starch, flour or a material containing a high percentage of starch, obtained by boiling starch with an alkali such as caustic potash, caustic soda and the like, is added to sodium 5 silicate, such as the usual technical grade of 40 to 42 Baum sodium silicate, or where a sodium silicate of higher than the usual ratios of NaaO to $102 is used, the preliminary boiling of the starch with the caustic alkali may be eliminated. The silicate and alkaline or hydrolized colloidal starch are made compatible by stirring vigorously and by facilitating the mixing or solubilizing action under the influence of heat, the mixture being readily prepared at a temperature of about 75 0., although temperatures somewhat higher or lower can be used.

In order toincrease the solubility of sodium silicate in kettle soap, I have found that colloidal substances can be used and I employ hydrolized starch, flour or a material containing a high percentage of starch as illustrated, dextrine, glucose, gum arabic, ghatti, tragacanth and the like to this end all protective colloids or auxiliary dispersion aids capable of main- 5 taining soap and water soluble silicate in homogenized form. When using the colloidal emulsifying material it is possible to mix a greater proportion of silicate to soap as will be pointed out more fully hereinafter.

The practical limits of silicate addition to kettle soap heretofore was normally about 400 pounds of 40 to 42 Baum sodium silicate solution (containing approximately 160 pounds of solid sodium silicate) to 900 pounds of kettle soap, more or less. By mixing colloidal materials, as, for instance, hydrolized starch and sodium silicate, it is possible to incorporate as much as 700 pounds of to 42 Baum sodium silicate solution (containing approximately 280 pounds of 40 solid sodium silicate) with about 600 pounds of kettle soap of 63% fatty acid content, although these limits represent a practical mixture and are not limitative of the invention but merely illustrative thereof. This mixture does not chalk upon drying, but, however, is not a good soap, particularly from the point of view of the users of chips, since it possesses a sudsing power considerably below normal or below that possessed by the average soap chip.

In accordance with the procedures of this invention the sudsing power of a finished soap containing about 700 pounds of 40 to 42 Baum silicate to 600 pounds of kettle soap is restored by adding a sudsing agent, such as sodium pyrophosphate ,(NmPzO-r). anhydrous or otherwise. It has been found that other materials as, for instance, sodium hexametaphosphate, soluble sodium aluminum silicate, soluble zeolites, and the like, may serve the same purpose as may sodium pyrophosphate.

In the practical operation of the present invention in plants equipped with the average size crutcher, a typical soap formulation will contain about 8 to 16 pounds or more of alkaline starch as the colloidal material, about 700 pounds of 42 Baum silicate, about 600 pounds of kettle soap, and such quantity of sudsing agent to bring the sudsing power of the finished soap up to normal, this being about pounds in the case of anhydrous sodium pyrophosphate. Varying conditions as to alkalinity of kettle soap vary the formula in respect to the amount of starch and caustic alkali used. Varying atmospheric conditions may necessitate the addition of some H20 up to 60% of the weight of the pyrophosphate used.

In the practical operation it will probably be found advisable to prepare an addition product of all the ingredients except the soap stock as such addition product can be prepared at a central point or may be prepared in quantities at a soap plant and stored for future use. Such material may be manufactured by boiling 8 to 16 pounds of starch, flour, corn starch, or other emulsifying colloid suitable for this purpose where necessary, with sufficient caustic potash (5 pounds) of 15 Baum more or less or the like to render this material colloidal. To this product is added about 60 pounds of anhydrous sodium pyrophosphate and about to parts of 42 Baum solution of sodium silicate (such a solution containing about 40% of solid sodium sillcate) at an elevated temperature or with stirring until the product is homogeneous, at which time it is permitted to stand and harden and subsequently ground to powder. The addition of suitable quantities of this solid powdered mixture of colloidal emulsifying material and sudsing material and silicate may then be added in a 1400 pound crutcher to the requisite amount of silicate and soap. Or, the colloidal material, sudsing material and silicate may be mixed and stored and later used for addition to kettle soap.

Caustic potash, starch and pyrophosphate mayv be mixed in dry form and subsequently combined with sodium silicate for addition to kettle soap.

The siliceous material described hereinabove is incorporated in the kettle soap by adding it to the melted soap under stirring in order to obtain uniform distribution throughout the soap stock or by other suitable methods. After uniform distribution and solution of these ingredients, as, for instance, starch, silicate and phosphate, has been efiected in the soap, the finished melted soap stock is then cooled. The sudsing and detergent power of the soap so prepared is of equal quality with soap of the usual composition, that is to say, containing about 400 pounds of 40 to 42 Baum silicate to 900 pounds of kettle soap.

The high silicate soap stock, prepared inaccordance with the method of the present invention readily adapts itself for the preparation of chips by running the stock over chilling rolls, or it maybe, dried and powdered in the usual way for the preparation of a soap powder of high sudsing properties. The same formulation or slight modifications thereof may be used for the,

manufacture of soap in bar form.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a method of preparing a high grade sudsing soap has been described, a soap containing substantially greater quantities of silicate than has been found practical for use heretofore. The invention also provides the preparation of a treated silicate that can be manufactured in a central location and distributed to soap manufacturers making it possible for them to incorporate the treated silicate into soap in substantially larger quantities than has been found practical heretofore, a soap eminently suitable for the manufacture of chips, powder or bar under very favorable economic conditions.

What is claimed is:

l. A soap composition comprising kettle soap and sodium silicate, the ratio of sodium silicate to soap being at least 4 to 10, an organic water soluble colloidal dispersing agent in quantity sufficient to make the soap and sodium silicate compatible, and a sudsing material selected from the group consisting of sodium pyrophosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate, said sudsing material being present in sumcient quantity to induce normal sudsing of said composition.

2. The composition of claim 1 characterized in that said colloidal material is water soluble starch and said sudsing agent is sodium pyrophosphate.

3. The method of preparing a high silicate content sudsing soap which comprises heating kettle soap to melt the same and adding thereto, while hot, sodium silicate, the ratio of sodium silicate to soap being at least 4 to 10, an organic water soluble colloidal dispersing agent in quantity sufficient to make the soap and sodium silicate compatible, and a sudsing material selected from the group consisting of sodium pyrophosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate, said sudsing material being present in sufficient quantity to induce normal sudsing of said composition.

4. The method of preparing a high silicate content sudsing soap which comprises heating kettle soap to melt the same and adding thereto, while hot, sodium silicate, the ratio of sodium silicate to soap being atleast 4 to 10, soluble starch in quantity sufllcient to make the soap and silicate compatible and sodium pyrophosphate in quantity sufficient to induce normal sudsing of the finished compounded soap.

JOHN R. CURZON. 

